Pakistan's top 3 wicket-takers against India in ODI World Cups ft. Mushtaq Ahmed
India will take on Pakistan in one of the most-awaited clash of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday, October 14, in Ahmedabad.
Both sets of players know exactly what is expected out of them, they know their opponents' strengths and weaknesses, but what matters on the day will be the ability to be in control of the nerves.
India have a 7-0 head-to-head lead against Pakistan in ODI World Cup matches and will be the favorites on Saturday.
Here we take a look at Pakistan's top 3 wicket-takers against India in ODI World Cups:
#3 Sohail Khan
Sohail Khan has played just once against India in ODIs, a group stage match during the 2015 World Cup in Adelaide. His five-wicket haul (10-0-55-5) in that encounter puts him at number three in this list. He dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, and Ajinkya Rahane as the Men in Blue scored 300/7 in 50 overs.
Mohammed Shami stepped up in the second innings, taking four wickets in nine overs as Pakistan were bowled out for 224 runs.
#2 Mushtaq Ahmed
A jog, a leap, and two hands flying up in the air to zip out a leg break, Mushtaq Ahmed, a master with the ball, was quite a character. He comes second in this list with five wickets against India in World Cups.
Mushtaq Ahmed featured in two World Cup matches against India - in 1992 and 1996 - and picked up five wickets across these matches. In the match in Sydney in 1992, Ahmed recorded figures of 59/3 in 10 overs and dismissed Mohammad Azharuddin, Vinod Kambli, and Sanjay Manjrekar.
In the match in Bengaluru in 1996, Ahmed conceded 56 runs and took two wickets in 10 overs. He dismissed Navjot Singh Sidhu and Vinod Kambli.
#1 Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz is the highest wicket taker for Pakistan in World Cup matches against India with seven scalps. His most notable performance against India was a five-wicket haul in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup in Mohali.
Riaz took the wickets of the Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, and Zaheer Khan, as Pakistan restricted India to 260/9 in the first innings. In the end, Pakistan were bowled out for 231 runs but Riaz's performance remains iconic.
He took one wicket each in two other World Cup matches against India in 2015 and 2019.